TANGLED, pjo₁

0.03

𖤓

TO SAY LEE AND ELLIE WERE MAD WAS AN UNDERSTATEMENT.

they had just finished their rant on why the first check-up was important for new demigods and now she was on bed rest as punishment.

her and michael were left alone in the infirmary as a consequence - of course, ellie would come and check up on them every so often, but it was usually just them in the room. she would tell the two demigods to try and sleep to make the time go by faster so they could enjoy dinner with other campers, but neither of them could get comfortable.

eventually, the two got visited by chiron, who sat in his magical wheelchair to fit under the door frame. he sat in the middle of the two beds they occupied and listened. he never interrupted, something reagan respected. he looked as though the stories of the two demigods leading up to this point were a part of something greater, something reagan had a feeling that she didn't know.

chiron had a thoughtful look on his face once the two finally finished their story, "very well, i am glad the two of you have made it to camp. dinner will soon commence, i recommend that you make you way to the hermes cabin. i believe you know the way, miss corona?"

reagan nodded, clarisse was a pretty decent tour guide (surprisingly) and annabeth just confirmed what she was unsure about by the daughter of ares' half-hearted tour. plus cedar had explained in great detail the ins and outs of how the camp was organized by number when she asked yesterday.

yesterday. all this really started because yesterday, on a whim, she decided to run away. it felt like so long ago she was in an orphanage but in reality, ms. gothal probably hasn't even noticed she was gone, probably thinks she's just painting in her room. she was never that observant over reagan to be fair, she trusted the young girl.

Probably not anymore but hey, she's not planning on going back anytime soon!

michael was lifted off the bed by the blonde girl. the ambrosia and nectar had healed his ankle enough to put pressure on it, and with the ankle brace supporting it he shouldn't have any problems-

reagan started dragging michael out of the infirmary and to where she remembered the hermes cabin being.

𖤓

THE HERMES CABIN WAS ABSOLUTELY CRAMPED.

reagan knows cramped. she spent her entire life surrounded by maybe thirty something girls living in a five-bedroom house, but the hermes cabin seemed worse. there were roughly twelve bunk beds in the cabin and almost forty-something campers. the cabin was a mess and reagan couldn't help but want to clutch her backpack tighter to her chest. she didn't have much, but if a majority of these kids were children of hermes, the god of thieves... she didn't want to risk it.

she noticed two boys, perhaps eight and nine, casting suspicious glances from the corner, clutching what appeared to be a lizard. then her gaze fell upon a boy her age, his Japanese features and fluffy black hair catching her attention as he idly flipped a coin. there was a girl who looked to be fourteen and stealing from a camper who was looking for something, then grabbing an old leather-bound book. as she continued to scan the cabin and all the people rushing around trying to get ready for dinner, she locked eyes with the same acidic blue gaze she remembered from the infirmary. subconsciously, she took a step forward to shield michael.

'that's luke,' she remembered annabeth saying. her words gave the impression of someone who was just pointing out the obvious, but her eyes told a different story. this guy was annabeth's hero, and reagan doesn't see why.

a persistent ringing echoed in the back of her mind as if telling her to run for the hills. 'run from the hero, the traitor!' yet, it was overshadowed by the overwhelming acidic taste she got from looking at his piercing blue eyes. she froze. she wanted to run, it was always her first instinct to run away from something she didn't like, it's what led her to michael and cedar - then later to camp - in the first place. as he approached, she remained frozen, desperately seeking signs of danger but finding none. he had a trickster's grin, but so did everyone else in the cabin so it couldn't be that. she searched in vain for anything to disrupt his flawless facade, something to prove to herself that she needed to be on edge, but there was nothing.

she came back into focus when luke stood right in front of her and started talking.

"hey, i'm luke. you must be reagan and michael right? welcome to cabin eleven. I'm the councillor for the hermes cabin. he's the god of travellers so we take in everyone who doesn't have a cabin."

what was she worried about again?

luke noticed the girl's gaze and smirked a bit, a cocky way that told her he got a lot of attention. probably for his looks. maybe his skill. but he seemed to think it was funny.

michael's stomach rumbled and quickly cut through the mix of tension between the two demigods.

"so... when's dinner?" he asked, his voice sheepish. if anything, the boy seemed glad that reagan was in front of him. his face was flushed with slight embarrassment and he could see one of the campers giggling at the question.

luke'a gaze flickered over to the noiret, and his smile changed, before he addressed the whole cabin.

"hermes! line up!" the conch horn blew, "dinner!"

luke brought them to the back of the line the cabin had formed, the two identical boys were just infront of them. the lizard places in a plastic container under their bunk bed.

meanwhile, luke returned to the front of the line, near the front cabin. he lead the cabin out of the door.

reagan leaned in to michael who was right behind her, "that had to be rehearsed, right?"

michael held back a small laugh and the boy in-front of her whispered "you have no idea."

𖤓